Victorian Bridge Association Bulletin September 2012 Editor: Bill Jacobs COUNCIL NEWS Teams are up to 6 players, and this most distinguished State Teams event of the year serves as an avenue to qualify for the IT improvements at the VBA Victorian Open Team at the ANC in Adelaide 2013. This year's Open Teams will also offer Thanks to the extensive efforts by our Gold Points to players. councillor Rob Stewart we now have new TV monitors installed at the club to provide Master Teams will commence on Monday 24 display of results, time remaining in the September for 3 consecutive weeks. This is a session and other useful information during graded red point event. sessions. This will enhance the experience of players contesting state and club events. The Enter online at the VBA website VBA council wishes to express its gratitude to www.vba.asn.au. the Bridge Foundation’s Trustees Ian McCance and Diana Jacobs for approving the September Congresses funding for this project. September brings us football finals and three Additionally, the council has agreed to great congress events. Why not "spring into establish and trial a video link via Skype for action in Spring" and give one of these council meetings to facilitate participation by popular congresses a go. Places fill up quickly our regional representatives on the council. so enter early to be sure you don't miss out! Echuca - September 8 & 9 Website Data Improvements Ballarat - September 15 & 16 Macedon Ranges - September 30 Rob Stewart has been working hard with Entry to most congresses can be made online Laurie Kelso, Cathie Lachman and the other at www.bridgeunlimited.com. Visit the VBA directors to get our new scoring system up website for more details on these events and running. The system utilising under "Affiliated Home". Compuscore is not only designed to provide better data for players, but thanks to the wonderful efforts of Blaine Howe it has Attention Bridge Directors allowed us to make many changes to our website to improve the information provided The VBA, in conjunction with the Australian to club members, as well as improved Bridge Directors Association, will be hosting a information for players contesting state weekend of Seminar & Workshops at its events. Now there is extensive information Poath Road premises on October 13 and 14. available to players on how they went in each session. We are in the final stages of Featuring Sean Mullamphy, Arie Guersen, implementing this change and we trust you Matthew McManus and Laurie Kelso, the will let us know how you like it. program will comprise a mix of formal presentations and workshop discussions. Upcoming State Events at the VBA At $55 including lunch for the two days ($30 The following events at the VBA are open to for one day only), this event is a great way to all Victorian Bridge players: improve your knowledge on the Laws of Bridge and their application. Open Teams Pennant will commence on Wednesday September 19th for 7 weeks (19 More details regarding the event are Sept, 3, 10, 17, 31 October and 7, 14 available on both the ABF and the VBA November). This culminates in the Semi- websites. Finals and Final on November 24 and 25. Page 2 VBA Bulletin September 2012 FOR STARTERS have strength up to about 21 points, and Bill Jacobs with your minimum 6 points, that would be sufficient for game. Reverse bids are forcing. Playing in a team event, everyone is With 9 or more points, your side should have vulnerable and you hold: sufficient strength for at least a game contract. Your options for responding to a KQ10984 A5 642 . 74 reverse bid with 9+ points are: Partner is the dealer and opens 1., you - jump rebid your suit with 6+ cards, or respond 1, and your partner bids 2: - jump to 3NT with a stopper in the LHO Partner RHO You fourth suit and no good fit for either or 1. Pass 1 partner’s suits, or Pass 2 Pass ? - jump in one of partner’s suits with a good fit there, or What is partner showing you? And what should you bid now? - bid the fourth suit (“fourth-suit forcing”) to indicate that you have enough strength for game, but don’t yet know which denomination to select Partner’s 2 is known as a reverse bid. A reverse bid is a bid in a new suit that forces With your current hand: the partnership to a high level. Specifically, if a return to opener’s first suit takes you to KQ10984 A5 642 . 74 the 3-level, then opener has reversed, and is showing extra values over and above after partner has opened 1. and reversed minimum opening bid values: approximately with 2 over your 1 response, you have 16 or more points. just enough strength to commit to the game level. And your spade suit is a good one, so It is called a reverse because, in the most you should jump to 3 over partner’s 2 bid. typical reverse auction, 1X-1Y-2Z, “Z” is a higher suit than “X” and therefore the suits Partner raises this to 4, so the auction has are being bid in an unnatural, or reverse, been: order. LHO Partner RHO You Responder’s reaction to a reverse will depend 1. Pass 1 on his high-card strength. With about 6 to 8 Pass 2 Pass 3 points, it is not yet certain that the Pass 4 All Pass partnership belongs in game, and a bid at the minimum level is in order: The K is led, and you see: - repeat your suit with a 6-card or decent J3 5-card suit of your own, or K1082 AJ - bid 2NT with a stopper in the fourth . AQJ83 suit, and no good fit for either or N partner’s suits, or - make a minimum bid in one of partner’s S suits KQ10984 A5 All these bids can be passed by partner if he 642 is in the minimum range for his reverse: . 74 about 16-17 points. Plan the play in 4 One thing you are not allowed to do is to pass partner’s reverse bid. Partner could VBA Bulletin September 2012 Page 3 Start by counting your losers. Looking at Opener Responder your hand, you have a loser in spades, two in 1 1NT diamonds and one in clubs, should the club 2 king be offside. Opener Responder The second diamond loser can be avoided by 1 2 trumping the third round of diamonds, but 3. perhaps the opponents can prevent that ruff by playing two rounds of trumps. For Opener Responder example, if you win A and return a 1. (1) Pass (Pass) diamond, the opponents can play A and 2 another spade. Then if the club finesse loses, they will have a good diamond to cash. In each case, returning to opener’s first suit involves bidding it at the 3-level. Is there a way to avoid that scenario? Because the auction is forced relatively high, opener is required to have extra strength. Yes there is. Let them win K at trick 1. After a one-over-one response, and a Then if the defence plays two rounds of reverse bid from opener, responder must trumps, you can draw trumps and take the not pass. With 6-8 points, make a simple club finesse, with A standing sentinel to minimum bid in one of the three suits guard the suit. shown (or bids 2NT). With 9 or more points, make a jump bid, or bid the fourth If instead the opponents play a second suit: these rebids force the partnership to diamond, you can come to A and ruff the game. third round of diamonds, avoiding your second diamond loser that way. Holdup plays in suit contracts are not as common as in notrumps. But they can The full deal: occur. This suit is a typical example: J3 xxx K1082 AJ Axx . AQJ83 A62 N 75 When this suit is led, it is often a good J764 Q93 idea to not take your ace until the second W E KQ103 9875 round. Then if the suit divides 5-2, and . 95 S . K1062 the player with the doubleton KQ10984 subsequently gets on lead, he won’t be A5 able to cash a trick in this suit. 642 . 74 RECENT RESULTS If you take A at trick 1, you will have no way to make, if the defenders play well. Rothfield Teams 1 W. Jacobs, B. Thompson, L. Gold, S. Hinge, P. Hollands, M. Henbest 2 G. Kilvington, I. McCance, F. Beale, R. van Riel Points to remember: 3 H. Snashall, J. Magee, T. Strong, C. Haugh Be on the lookout for reverse auctions: auctions where partner bids two suits, and Ros Blutstein Swiss Pairs your return to his first suit would take you 1 S. Sharp – D. Sharp to the 3-level. Here are some examples 2 J. Fleiszig – G. Fleiszig of reverse bids: 3 E. Linton – E. Matheson Page 4 VBA Bulletin September 2012 SETTING TRICK - PROBLEMS must hope declarer's shape is 5422 and play for 2 club tricks, one heart and one from... Where? What is your strategy? Problem 1: Dlr: South A Solutions on page 7. Vul: E/W 10965 J9876 THE TWELFTH TRICK . Q103 N KQ62 Two for the price of one, this month. AQ3 W E 10 West North East South S . K8653 1 Pass 1 Pass 2NT West North East South Pass 6NT All Pass 1NT* Pass 2.